The Bike Accident
by Me
Summary: Mrs. Van Pelt is in a bike accident & the Van Pelts stay with the Browns while she recuperates & Mr. Van Pelt stays with her. Sally decides life is short and wants Rerun as her Sweet Babboo if he'll have her. Could be G, PG to be safe b/c of the acciden


I hpe I guessed right on relative ages. I used introduction dates and the FAQ to figure that Linus was either 6or 18 months older than Sally, who is a year older then Rerun (I think.) I wish I had to time to do all POV's, but this is just Rerun's. Also sent to the website about Linus' brother.  
  
THE BIKE ACCIDENT  
  
Rerun Van Pelt, recently graduated from first grade, squealed excitedly. It wasn't a dog like he'd always wanted. But, the shiny new bike, with NO training wheels on it, was almost as good. It was sitting out in the family's backyard shed, the one his dad had spoken of building for almost ten years.  
  
"Care to take it for a spin?" Lucy said. "Here let me hold the handlebars for you the first time. No, don't lean back so far in your seat, you want to be more aerodynamic. You have to lean-"  
  
Rerun grinned. His brother Linus always gave in too quickly to their sister Lucy's bossiness. She was getting better, but she was still way too crabby for his tastes. He simply went ahead and did what he could to get around her. And, in this case, that meant pulling away from her as fast as he could, leaving her flat on the ground.  
  
"Whee," he cried, as he raced past the house of his brother's best friend, Charlie Brown. Now, this was fun. He'd been practicing for quite a while, on his brother's old bike. Now, he felt he was the best bike rider on his block.  
  
"Look, there's Rerun. He looks like Neil Armstrong on the Tour of France."  
  
Rerun would have laughed had he realized that Sally, a year older than he, meant Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France, a famous bike race. Sally was Charlie Brown's sister, and she was always making malapropisms. She had a schoolgirl crush on Linus.  
  
In fact, Rerun suspected that Linus secretly liked her, too, although he always insisted that he was not her "sweet babboo."  
  
How could he find out, he asked himself. He thought he'd seen Linus writing in a diary of sorts once, though he had no idea where it was. Oh, well, he told himself, it probably would be too hard for him to read. He tended to be a lot more skeptical about things than his brother. He was more like his fussy, complaining sister in that way, though he himself wasn't very fussy.  
  
Several weeks later, Linus and Lucy were playing ball with Charlie Brown. Their dad was at work. And, Rerun and his mom were preparing for one of their long bike rides. He remembered fondly the long rides he'd take on the back of his mother's bike when he was smaller, except for one thing. Well, more than one, but especially the grates over which they rode - what if they fell into one? Now, he could avoid them clearly himself. He got on his shiny red bike, and fastened his helmet as he reminisced. His mother was not the safest bicyclist. Oh, she'd never hit anything worse than a storm grate. And, maybe his dad was right and the "near misses" just seemed scary to him. But, there was something about being on his own bike that was more comforting than just the fact he had control of the handlebars.  
  
He pedaled somewhat slowly, avoiding dangerous turns that his mother would make. He preferred to skirt along sidewalks, where it was safe. His mother obliged, watching out for him, but he had the feeling she would daringly dart into the middle of traffic if she could. He remembered a comic strips Linus had shown him once - it was called "Rose is Rose." The mother sometimes fantasized about being this wild woman riding a super-fast motorcycle. He and Linus had shared a tender chuckle at that moment. That was just like their Mom, all right. He often cried "look out for that tree, look out for that truck," and so on.  
  
They were about a block from their house when he saw the car coming. He assumed his mom, who was in front, saw it speeding toward the stop sign, too. So, while he instinctively stopped and cried "Look out," he was totally unprepared for what happened next.  
  
Rerun covered his eyes. He heard a loud screech, then a sickening crunch. For what seemed like an eternity, as he heard screams, he didn't want to uncover his eyes. Finally, he dared to peek above his hands, and gasped. The car had fled. He ignored the kickstand, and let his bike fall half into the street as he ran to see his mother. He instantly burst out crying.  
  
"Mom," he said between the tears. She moaned.  
  
Sally ran up to him after a moment. "Oh, no! What happened? Rerun?"  
  
Rerun couldn't help it. He hugged Sally, as if holding on for dear life. Where was the driver? Why hadn't he stopped when he hit someone, let alone at the stop sign? He'd just kept right on going. "Quick, call the police. Call 9-1-1. Call everyone!"  
  
"It's okay, my mom's calling 9-1-1 right now. I came out to look," Sally said, though she was making every effort not to look.  
  
Mrs. Van Pelt moaned. She began to move a little, though she appeared to be in intense pain. "Rerun," she mumbled. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Y-yes, Mom," he said through tears, trying to at least glance at her.  
  
"I love you, Rerun. It's going to be okay."  
  
"I love you too, Mom."  
  
Mrs. Brown came running out to the scene. She could tell her daughter and Rerun were quite scared. She hugged them both while speaking to Mrs. Van Pelt. "It's okay. Listen, I called, the ambulance is coming. It's important to stay still, just in case there are broken bones."  
  
"I feel like everything's broken," Mrs. Van Pelt muttered, now a little more conscious.  
  
"Thanks, Mom. I think you'd be better taking care of her now. Although, now I have another reason to want to be a nurse besides liking white shoes." Sally sniffled. "I want to be able to take care of people like that," she said, still not looking directly at the accident.  
  
"I understand." She whispered so only Rerun and Sally could hear. "Let's not tell her how it looks. That might scare her more."  
  
Rerun thought of the 9-1-1 call. Why wasn't the ambulance here yet? "I better go call, too. What if the ambulance doesn't make it?"  
  
"It'll come, Dear. Sometimes they get 2 or 3 calls about the same accident, and that's good. Because one person might be too excited, and not give enough information or something." When she saw Rerun brighten a little, she smiled. "I'll be right here till they get here. I promise. Your dad'll probably want to know what happened, though. Why don't you go call him, if that will make you feel better."  
  
"I don't remember his work number."  
  
"Do you know where he works?" He did. "Just call information, then, and they'll give it to you."  
  
Sally had finished weeping by now. "I'll go back with him, Mom."  
  
Rerun and Sally ran back to the Brown house. Rerun felt more confident with someone there watching his mother. Still, he was scared. He was the baby, after all. He 'd often had his mom to himself when Linus and Lucy were at school or out playing.  
  
They saw Snoopy, Charlie Brown's dog, walking around in a stance that reminded Rerun of a World War One pilot heading out to his plane. Rerun sniffled. He wished he had courage like that - indeed, he wished he had a dog like that. He'd always wanted one, but his dad said they couldn't get one.  
  
A dog would give him extra courage, he thought as he found the number for his dad's place of business. The tears began to return as he held Sally's hand for comfort. He told their dad what happened, and that an ambulance was on its way.  
  
Once he got finished, Rerun said, "Maybe we should call 9-1-1- again."  
  
"Good point. Maybe they got lost, or they couldn't find our street. Maybe they need to..." Sally suddenly heard sirens. "Or, maybe that's them."  
  
It was an ambulance. They ran out to see the brilliant flashing lights and paramedics working feverishly to get Mrs. Van Pelt stabilized. After a moment, Mrs. Brown jogged over to the children. "It's going to be okay," she said trying to sound confident. Rerun, of course, found that hard to believe.  
  
A couple hours later, Mr. Brown got off the phone with Mr. Van Pelt at the hospital. He'd taken off work and left his barber shop to be run by the other two barbers. He walked into the living room, where everyone but Lucy was quiet and trying to play a board game. Lucy was doing the complaining for all of them put together. Why hadn't the driver been looking? Why hadn't the very good response time been even better, "like on ER," she'd demanded. Why couldn't anyone tell them what was happening?  
  
Linus finally possessed the faith to ask, "How's our mom?"  
  
"Well, she in surgery right now. Your dad's waiting to hear." Mr. Brown sat amongst the Van Pelt children. "It's going to be touch and go for a while. He said he knows you'll be praying," came the comment directed mostly at Linus, but intended for all of them. "But, he wants you to know that whatever happens, it's going to happen for a reason. Good can come out of it. He's going to be down at the hospital all week, they're giving him time off at work. So, I told him you children are free to stay with us for as long as is needed."  
  
As they mumbled their thanks, Charlie Brown put his arm around Linus. "Lousy way to become roommates, huh?" "But, she'll be okay, right," Rerun wanted to know. "I mean, who's doing the surgery? Is he qualified? What if it's one of those guys like on the news? One of those guys who doesn't know his left from his right. I made extra sure to learn that in Kindergarten, just in case I become a doctor."  
  
"You're the same kid who wore your shoes on the wrong feet," Lucy remarked.  
  
"Only to show them who was boss," Rerun said. "And, I learned I can't make right left, even if I want to."  
  
Mr. Brown smiled and put an arm around Rerun. "The doctors there are among the best. I don't know for sure who they are; I only know the pediatricians there. But, I can promise you that your dad would not let someone operate on your mother unless that person knew just what he or she was doing." To all, he said, "Let's go over and get your overnight bags and some clothes, okay?"  
  
"Okay, but I sure hope I don't have to room with my brothers," Lucy fussed. She turned to Charlie Brown. "You have a guest room, right?"  
  
"Why, yes, in fact..."  
  
"Then it's settled. I get the guest room, and Linus and Rerun room with Charlie Brown."  
  
Rerun sighed. Why was his sister being so cranky?  
  
Mrs. Brown interceded. "Well, dear, we all have to make sacrifices. I'm sure you can room with Sally, and she wouldn't mind. Right, Sally?"  
  
"I'd love having a roommate. Especially if it's my sweet babboo," Sally said.  
  
"I am not your 'sweet babboo,'" Linus said defensively.  
  
"Whether he is or isn't," Mr. Brown said with hands raised, "there will be no mixing of genders. This is not a co-ed house."  
  
"But, I need my privacy. Linus and Rerun room together anyway. So why not let them room with Charlie Brown here?" Lucy complained.  
  
"Why not let them take the guest room and you room with me, Lucy?" Sally offered. "Well, let's think about it for a while. That is a good suggestion, Sally. I don't know if we'll use the guest room or not, but I will say this, Lucy," Mrs. Brown commented. "When it gets to be two in the morning and you can't sleep, you might want someone to talk to, without having to come wake us, though we'd be happy to talk. As Charlie can tell you, sometimes you feel really alone even if you don't need someone to talk to at that time of the morning."  
  
"He's right, Lucy." Charlie Brown explained that, "I'd stay up at night, thinking about the meaning of life when nothing was wrong. I can't imagine how scared you are. But, I'd want to know there was someone with me, in your shoes."  
  
Rerun sighed. He could tell what Lucy was thinking. That look on her face always meant one thing. She didn't like being told how someone else looked at things. To her, it was always her way, or no way.  
  
Still, Rerun said to Sally, "If she starts out in the guest room, she'll be in yours before midnight."  
  
That night, after staying up and talking with the Browns and his siblings for a while, Rerun finally got to bed. However, he continued to lay awake worrying. He tried to have the faith of his brother. And, little by little, he was getting it. But, faith was so hard for him, even without his mom's accident. Even though she was out of surgery, she wasn't out of danger; she was merely in "stable" condition.  
  
Even his question about what horses had to do with his mom - which was funny in retrospect - wasn't making him any happier.  
  
"Hey, are you awake," Rerun whispered.  
  
"Huh?" came a voice. "Which one of us do you want?"  
  
Rerun grinned. He'd forgotten that they were in Charlie Brown's room in sleeping bags. "I don't know. Whoever's awake, I guess."  
  
"Well, your sister is," Charlie Brown muttered as he gestured with his head toward the door. Lucy caught the looks from the hallway. She glared in at Rerun but, rather than admit defeat, she boasted, "I made it till 12:30." She continued to drag her sleeping bag.  
  
Charlie Brown looked over at Linus, sound asleep and sucking his thumb while holding his blanket. "I felt like an idiot when I tried that years ago. But, I can't really blame him for using that blanket right now."  
  
"Lucy always yells about that. She didn't tonight," Rerun said. He could sense that things were different within the family. Lucy was still fussy, but she was becoming less bossy, less combative. What she did show was most likely the frustration that they all felt. Had the accident done that? And, why had it happened?  
  
What was his mom thinking, too; especially when she made sure to say she loved him right away? She often said that to all of them. But, something had felt...well, he didn't know how he would describe it.  
  
Rerun thought for a minute. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"  
  
Charlie Brown sighed. "I've already got a lot. But, why not? Maybe we could solve the problem together."  
  
Rerun asked plainly, "Do you think our mom thought she would die?"  
  
Charlie Brown rolled his eyes. "How am I supposed to know that? Give me an easier one."  
  
"Okay. I guess I can ask her when we visit tomorrow. I was just thinking, though." He changed to another subject on his mind, to try to avoid thinking about his mom. "Do you think Linus loves your sister?"  
  
Charlie Brown put his hands behind his head. "What is love? I mean, is it something out there that I'll know when I see it? Or, will it pass me by? Will some girl feel like coming up and saying she likes me? Or, am I never going to have the courage to say 'hi' to any girl, let alone the little red-haired girl?"  
  
Rerun uttered a simple, "Oh." Now, he understood what Charlie Brown had meant by having lots of questions. He tried to think of some answers. Unfortunately, one person came to his mind when he thought of love right then.  
  
He nudged Linus awake. "Hey, Linus?" Linus awoke groggily as Rerun jostled him. "Hey, Rerun," he said sympathetically as he rubbed Rerun's back. "You're thinking about Mom, huh?"  
  
"Well, I was." Why not, he thought to himself. It helped distract him the last time, at least until Charlie Brown started rambling about love himself. "But, then Charlie Brown helped distract me. Linus, do you love Sally?"  
  
Linus was between chuckling at the simplcitiy of the question and sighing at the situation they were in right then. "Good grief, not this 'sweet babboo' stuff." He thought for a moment. "We stayed up past our bedtimes talking about the accident, and how we felt. I was thinking about all that we talked about before I got to sleep. And, right now I love everyone. I think of you, and Lucy, and Charlie Brown, and Sally, and all my friends. I know it could have been any one of you hit by that speeding car. Charlie Brown got grazed by one a few years ago, in fact, as a crossing guard."  
  
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that." Rerun grinned. Now, there was something that helped his faith. Now that he remembered, he could point to one place where someone recovered.  
  
"You were pretty young. Anyway, the Bible promises us that the Lord will give a 'peace that passes understanding.' And, I think I have that now. But, Mom's accident is still so big in my mind. It's scary to think how easily we could lose anyone. Isn't it?"  
  
A tear inched down Rerun's cheek. "Yeah, it is."  
  
Charlie Brown rambled, "Lucy's nicer, and I think she'll stay a little nicer. But, was that the only reason for this accident? Couldn't there have been a way to make her less crabby without putting all of us through this?"  
  
"'All things work together for good, to them that love God,'" Linus quoted from Scripture.  
  
"Huh?" Charlie Brown suddenly remembered his roommates. "Oh, sorry. I'm so used to mumbling out loud and not hearing an answer this late at night."  
  
Mr. Brown peeked in to see if anyone needed anything, then decided not to intervene. He knew they would need to talk amongst themselves. If they had to talk to him, he'd be there. After the three talked for a few more minutes, they fell asleep.  
  
Sally and Lucy had also been laying awake talking in Sally's room. After the five children got dressed the next morning, Sally walked into the boys' bedroom. "I've reached a decision, big brother." Charlie Brown adjusted his t-shirt with the jagged stripe, then turned to her. "Is this another life motto?"  
  
"Yes, it is. I'm never going to put off till tomorrow what I can do today."  
  
"That's a very good motto," Charlie Brown said as Rerun put on his shoes. It was surprising how advanced she could be. But, despite her malapropisms, she was quite precocious, in some ways.  
  
"I don't want to be like Scarlet O'Hare."  
  
"Scarlet O'Hare. Was she Bugs Bunny's girlfriend or something?" Lucy sneered as she walked into the bedroom.  
  
"She means 'O'Hara,' I'm sure." To Sally, Charlie Brown said, "Is there anything you're planning to do today, now that you've made this decision?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, there is," she said as Linus came from the bathroom fully dressed. "Linus, do you love me?"  
  
"Well..." Rerun giggled as Linus stammered as much as he'd heard that Charlie Brown did in front of girls. "If you mean love as in I don't want to see anything happen to you, of course."  
  
"I mean, do you want to be my 'Sweet Babboo,'" Sally explained.  
  
Linus was horrified. "No, no! Not that!'  
  
"Then I choose Rerun. He was very nice yesterday when I was scared."  
  
"I was?!" Rerun held that pose for a second. Then, suddenly, he realized that he and Sally probably would make a cute couple. He didn't totally understand the rules about boys and girls. But, maybe he could have a girlfriend at his age. He wished he'd had a chance to talk it over with the girl in his class, though.  
  
Rerun smiled as Sally grinned and put an arm around Rerun. He remembered how she held his hand when he called his dad at work. He recalled how she was right there when needed to cry after his mother get hurt. True, he didn't know a lot about love. But, maybe this was what love was supposed to be between a boy and a girl.  
  
Rerun finally agreed. "Okay, I guess. I'll be your sweet babboo. But, what do I have to do?"  
  
Sally looked at him with starry eyes. "Now, you have to come up with a name for me. It has to be something sweet."  
  
Rerun thought for a moment. "Something sweet. What about 'Sugar?'"  
  
"Everyone uses 'sugar.' I want someone to call me something like 'Cotton Candy.' That's really sweet."  
  
Rerun smiled warmly at her. "Okay. I love you, Cotton Candy." He thought for a moment. "That was kind of nice."  
  
"I love you, too, sweet babboo." Sally turned to her brother. "From now on, I'm not Sally around him. I'm his cotton candy."  
  
"Sally...you want to be 'cotton candy?' Now, wait just a minute." Charlie Brown glanced at Linus. "Linus, do something."  
  
"About what, Charlie Brown."  
  
"About the fact that my little sister has a boyfriend, and wants to be called 'Cotton Candy,' and said 'I love you,' and she's only eight years old!" Rerun was baffled by Charlie Brown's actions. Didn't he like her name? Maybe he should just use "Sugar."  
  
Sally said, "Well, what if I died tomorrow? It could happen, it almost happened to their mom. Or, what if one of them died? What if a meteor hits the earth and we get smashed to smithereens? What if the sun explodes? What if it already did; we learned in science class that it takes the sun's light eight minutes to reach us."  
  
Charlie Brown shook his head and looked at the ceiling. "Why me?" He tried to speak to everybody, but kept getting tongue tied. "Sally, it won't...the sun hasn't... Rerun... Well, Linus, your..." He sighed. This wasn't getting anywhere.  
  
"Well, while you're being as wishy-washy as ever, I'm going over to see Schroeder," Lucy remarked.  
  
Rerun could tell things were getting confused. Charlie Brown was quite perplexed. But, he wanted someone to answer one question. "What should I do with a girlfriend besides calling her 'Cotton Candy?'" Charlie Brown tried to make sense of everything. "Okay, Lucy, stay right here. We need to have a team meeting. Baseball teams sometimes do this to get closer and get things solved. And, we need to solve some things."  
  
Everyone sat Indian-style in a circle as the manager/pitcher/friend motioned them to. "Okay. Look. First, Sally, remember when you heard that announcer say that if a guy missed a putt, there would be no tomorrow?" She nodded as Charlie Brown felt glares from the other three. He wondered how he could make such a dumb comparison; this was a lot worse tan a man missing a putt. "Okay, I'm sorry. That was really stupid. This feels worse than that. I understand. But, one bad thing happening isn't the end of the world." He turned to Linus. "Come on, don't you have some Scripture or other quotes to back me up? You memorized so many verses once, that guy at church said he was going to have to have you start memorizing them in Latvian."  
  
"Sorry, Charlie Brown," came the distracted voice. "I guess I've been thinking about our mom too much. I keep having to think of things to give me peace. But, I can't think of many others."  
  
Rerun nodded. He had been thinking of their mom, too. But, he was trying to keep an ear on this conversation. "What am I supposed to do?"  
  
Charlie Brown nodded and smiled at Linus before turning back to his own sister. "Wait a second, Rerun. I'm getting to that. It's okay, Linus, I understand. But, Sally...and Lucy...each of us should have years ahead of us. Love is...something you have to wait for, and just hope it comes."  
  
"Yeah, right. Just like we have to hope people we love don't get hit by speeding cars," Lucy complained bitterly.  
  
Rerun could tell that Charlie Brown felt helpless. And, he did too, in a way. But, maybe it was time to test that thing his older brother had. That thing that he'd been trying to learn how to have for years. That thing called faith.  
  
"Look," Rerun said. "I can't get that accident out of my mind. But, our mom's okay now. I was scared yesterday they'd operate on the wrong person. Or, they'd give her a heart transplant instead of fixing her from the accident. And, that didn't happen," he said, a look of recognition hitting him. Not all the things he worried about would happen; most wouldn't, in fact. "It didn't happen."  
  
Linus put an arm around his brother. "He's right, Sally. Who knows. There's an age difference between us. But, when we get older, maybe someday, I'll be your...well, your..." He blushed.  
  
"Sweet babboo," Rerun finished. "I thought you liked her now.'  
  
"Rerun..." Linus sighed. He supposed that he ought to admit it. "Okay, okay. I guess I should say it. After all, you're right that nothing bad happened. But, something could. And, I guess we should say things while we still can." Linus turned to Sally and said, "I...well, I...I really...well, I mean..."  
  
Rerun studied Linus' face. "You look like your head turned into a tomato." He whispered, "I think he likes you" to Sally.  
  
"I love my sister. I wouldn't want anything bad to ever happen to her. Some people might say I'm old fashioned. But, I'm glad we won't be able to date with just two people alone till we're sixteen." Charlie Brown smiled at Linus. "I don't know a lot about that stuff. But, when the time comes for her to date, I can't think of anyone I'd trust more than my best friend." He skipped a beat. "Or his brother."  
  
"Thanks, Charlie Brown," Linus said gratefully.  
  
Rerun noticed that Lucy was being uncharacteristically quiet. He wondered why. Was she thinking about the accident herself?  
  
Lucy finally spoke. "Rerun, your brother's just now at the age when boys start to discover girls again. And, pretty soon you won't want all that lovey stuff like you think you do now."  
  
"But, Sally does," Rerun said.  
  
Sally smiled. "I don't want someone to hug and kiss me, that's gross. But, I just like saying I have a boyfriend right now. It makes me feel good to know I'm someone's cotton candy." She glanced at Linus. "Even if the cat has his tongue."  
  
"Okay, but listen. If you try to tell anyone about what we talked about, I will deny it," Linus promised.  
  
"Oooh, a secret boyfriend." Sally smiled. "That sounds even more fun." Rerun smiled at his brother. "Oh, well, I was someone's sweet babboo for a while, anyway. I guess this is where I learn to have faith my time will come?" "Yeah, I guess it is. Thanks for calling this team meeting, Charlie Brown. I think it really helped."  
  
"Anytime. Let's go down and call the hospital."  
  
Nearly a week later, the Browns and Van Pelts were hugging each other tearfully. "Don't be so sad, Charlie Brown. We'll be on the same block. We'll see each other every day," Linus said.  
  
"I know. But, for a week, I had someone to lay awake at night and talk with me."  
  
Rerun patted Snoopy on the head. "And for a week, I had a dog."  
  
"Hey, everyone! Guess who just pulled into your drive!" Sally announced excitedly as she ran down the street.  
  
"MOM'S HOME," the Van Pelt children cried. They ran home as fast as they could.  
  
Mr. Van Pelt held up a hand. "Whoa, children, be careful," he said as helped his wife out of the car. "Remember, her spleen ruptured, so you have to be very careful with her. Her insides are still tender."  
  
"I'm just glad we can get hugs back. We missed you so much, Mom," Rerun said excitedly.  
  
"Thanks, sweetheart. I'll have to be in bed for a while, but I can be home." She grinned broadly as they walked into the house.  
  
Rerun and Linus were preparing for bed that night. Once they donned their pajamas, they heard a voice. "I'll bet you were really scared, huh?"  
  
They were surprised at first to hear the sound. It was Lucy. "Yeah, we were," Rerun said.  
  
"You know, I was really quiet at that team meting, because of some things Sally said that first night, when we were laying awake talking." She sniffled. "It could have been you on the back of that bike, Rerun. Just a few weeks before, and it would have been you."  
  
"It doesn't pay to be crabby or mean, does it?" Linus then said something Rerun knew was probably from Scripture. "'Life is but a vapor...'"  
  
"Knock it off, blockhead. I might have your faith eventually. But, right now, just saying this is almost impossible. It took a whole week, after all!" She turned to Rerun and said, "You know, I'm really glad you didn't get hurt at all. That's what Sally was scared about - she'd had a nightmare that Linus got hit, too, just when I went in." She turned to both of them. "And, well..." She hung her head for a second, and muttered a low "I love you guys. I'm so glad we're all okay." They embraced.  
  
Rerun smiled at Linus. He'd always known that Lucy would say something like that one day. In fact, he sensed that she cared long before she said that.  
  
Linus asked about the knowing look after Lucy left. When Rerun explained, Linus said, "You know what, Rerun? I usually give in to her bossiness really fast. You were usually brave enough to stand up to her. Even at her crabbiest." He smiled. "Maybe you weren't as skeptical as you thought."  
  
"Maybe not." He winked and said, "I also knew you liked Sally."  
  
"Now, let's not start that 'sweet babboo' or 'cotton candy' stuff. I kind of like Lydia, too, a girl in my class. I guess right now, I want to think about someone more mature than Sally. Although, it's true, I've got lots of time." Linus chuckled for a second. "But, you know what. The Bible mentions that there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Charlie Brown is like that. But, Rerun, you're pretty close. I'm really thankful to have a brother like you."  
  
"Me, too." 


End file.
